Starbucks Expanding Beer & Wine

After experimenting with alcohol sales at six West Coast stores, the world?s largest coffee-shop chain said yesterday that it will sell beer and wine in as many as 25 locations by the end of the year.

Starbucks, which has 10,700 U.S. cafes, will also sell fruit-and-cheese plates and focaccia with olive oil.

The strategy is part of a broader experiment to find ways to lure Starbucks customers and even non-coffee drinkers into stores during slow periods of the day, especially afternoons and evenings.

The wine and beer initiative is part of an effort by Chief Executive Officer Howard Schultz to cement a turnaround he engineered starting in 2008.

Starbucks shuttered hundreds of cafes after overbuilding and a consumer-led recession sent sales and profits sliding.